A change of heart
by DarkwolfKnight
Summary: Isabela has a change of heart and returns back to Kirkwall to give back the Tome of Koslun to the Arishok. She did not expect Hawke to fight him for her. It could make a girl's heart flutter but her heart flutters in fear at the thought of losing Hawke forever. The pirate queen curses her change of heart because it might cause Hawke her life.


**Ok...I've been replaying Dragon Age 2 and decided to do a little fic about it. I kind of used the trailer of male mage Hawke fighting the Arishok for for the fight scene, the staff and some other things you will notice in this fic. Hawke is a female mage in this two part fic. This first part shows Hawke fighting for the Arishok and what her feelings are on why she is doing this for Isabela, who's change of heart of returing put Hawke in ths situation. The second part will be up soon and kind of the after math of everything. I might turn this into a longer fic if it is popular with you guys. Anyways, enjoy my first writing for Dragon Age 2 and I hope I did it justice. Oh I don't own Dragon Age or the characters they are owned by Bioware. **

"_Then you leave me no choice. I challenge you, Hawke. You and I will battle to the death, with her as the prize"_

Those words keep echoing in Sydney Hawke's head as the young woman stands her full 5'8" height to show that she is not going to be intimidated by the towering Arishok, who stands a few feet from her. Her icy, blue eyes doesn't reflect the fear that is squirming around in her stomach, making her ready to heave up her what little food she had this day. She quickly puts up her flowing, shoulder length, raven color hair into a messy ponytail. Hawke didn't want any type of distraction that could make her falter in this battle. The dark haired woman knows that she will need her entire concentration to battle the Arishok, who know pulls out his huge sword and his battle axe. Her throat suddenly feels dry and her hands start to give a little shake but she makes sure her face is neutral. Hawke can't give him any kind of edge in this already intimidating battle. Hell, she faced demons, huge ass spiders, abominations and a lot more is on that list but Hawke forgot it all when the Arishok's booming footsteps starts to make their way towards her. In those battles she had her companions by her side, watching her back. Her icy eyes swivel around slightly to see that Varric, Aveline, and Anders have retreated back with Isabela being tugged along by Varric and Anders. It's clear that the pirate queen, by the irritation in those honey colored and the fierce attempts to get onto the battlefield, she doesn't approve of this at all. Isabela doesn't want Hawke to sacrifice herself for her. She is all alone in this now. Her heart skips a beat when her's and Isabela's eyes connect for a brief second. Hawke can see the desperate plea in those beautiful eyes not to do this. The dark haired woman gives a smirk before looking back to her huge opponent. Nothing will sway her from doing this. Hawke reaches behind her and grips the pole of her staff to pull it out of its sheathe. The mage looks at the top that holds an amber gem with the smirk getting bigger. She never gets a different staff because the gem's color reminds her of the pirate queen's honey colored eyes. Her eyes harden greatly as she twirls her staff a bit. The Arishok looks impassive while twirling his own weapons. He is getting ready to take Hawke down so he can take this thief back with him so she can be submitted to the Qun. The mage will not let him have her Isabela.

"All right big boy, show me what you got." Hawke shoots to the Arishok with that arrogant smirk still on her face. A growl escapes from his lips at the bait the mage gave to him. He will make her suffer before taking her down with his sword. His eyes narrow before he pushes off the ground to charge towards her. Hawke exhales a bit at the speed of the Arishok is charging at her with. She isn't expecting such a tall and highly muscular person to have such speed on them.

"I need to have whatever you have to run like that." Hawke says as she quickly rolls to the right to dodge the Arishok. The dark haired woman is thankful she wore her lightest armor today so she can have protection yet still have full movement of her limbs. The gem glows and a lightning bolt shoots out of it. It is head towards the Arishok with full force. He gives a loud grunt at the lightening hitting his body and the pain pierces his body like knives cutting into his skin. The leader of the Qunari had underestimated the power in Hawke. He knew she is worthy but he did hope the fight wouldn't last long so he can finally leave this place of filth. The Arishok shakes off the attack with ease before running towards her again. He swings his broad sword down towards her head to which the mage blocks with her staff. Hawke exhales shakily when she sees the second glint of steel moving towards her exposed stomach. She can't forget about his double headed axe. The mage jumps back when the weapon got closer. Hawke can hear the faint clink of the axe nicking her armor. That is too close for her liking. The dark haired woman quickly gets refocused and her right hand has a spiral of fire snake up her arm.

"How about a little fire?" She asks with a smile as she throws a fireball towards the Arishok. Her icy colored eyes watch as he dodges the fireball before running towards her again. She moves to the left when the sword is swung downwards. The mage brings her staff to the right to block the incoming axe. Her hands sting at the clang of metal hitting each other. Hawke hates when that happens, cause now her hands with feel like needles are poking her flesh for a while and she needs her hands to channel her magic. She won't be as accurate and the mage wonders if he did this on purpose because he knows she is a mage. The dark haired woman doesn't think on this long as she brings the bottom of her staff across the stomach of the Arishok. Hawke liked this staff because it had a dagger on the end and she can use it in case she couldn't use her magic. Her ears are filled with a painful cry escape the grey lips and blood splatters across her arm. Yes! She had drawn the first blood in this battle and it made her feel a bit better on how this battle will go. An annoyed growl comes from the Arishok as he looks at the wound that streaks across his stomach. Hawke had drawn the first blood in an unexpected way. He didn't know that this mage had a staff with a dagger on it otherwise he would have been more careful.

"Ha! Make him cry for his mother, Hawke!"

Hawke rolls her eyes at hearing this being yelled out by Isabela, from somewhere in the crowd. Leave it to the pirate queen to yell this out during the battle for her. If she wins she is going to make Isabela pay for her drinks at the Hanged Man for the rest of her life and maybe some other things that are on her mind. A blush forms on her cheeks at those thoughts. The mage blinks her eyes when a hand comes flying in and hits her in the chest like a boulder being slammed into her. Hawke goes flying backwards until her body smashes into the wall with a boom. Pieces of the wall fall to the ground before she joins them on the cool surface.

"Ok….bad timing to let my thoughts go someplace dirty." Hawke berates herself as she starts to push herself off of the ground with a deep wheeze. Her chest feels like it is on fire after that sudden hit to her body. There is probably a broken rib or five that she will heal later when this battle is done. She inhales sharply when a burly hand grips her throat tightly before pulling her up until her feet is hovering a couple inches off of the ground. A hush goes over the crowd as they look on in horror at Hawke now being at the mercy of the Arishok. Grey eyes connect with the icy colored eyes.

"You should have let us have the thief and you wouldn't have been in this position, Hawke." He says before he slams her back into the hole of the wall the mage's body had made on impact from his punch. Hawke grits her teeth in pain while it shoots up her back when it makes connection with the concrete. The thin armor did help protect her body but it still hurts.  
"Ugh…that kind of hurt" Hawke replied with a rasp. The hand on her throat is tight but not tight enough for her not to breathe. He must not be done with her yet. The Arishok leans closer to her face so he can study it. He does not understand why this woman is fighting him for a thief that stole something from him. He thought she understood how he and the Qun works. She could have given him Isabela and none of this would happen. He is curious about what she would answer and that is why he hasn't killed her yet.

"Why Hawke? You could have avoided all of this if you gave me the thief. Why are you throwing your life away for her?" The Arishok questions while moving his head to the side slightly. His eyes move back and forth at the range of emotions flashing in those uniquely colored eyes. He does not understand these people following their feelings. Its what makes this place full of filth and pestilence. Hawke looks over the very broad shoulder to see Isabela watching on with her eyes widen in fear at the position the mage is in. There is something else reflecting in those honey eyes but it disappears when the rouge sees Hawke looking at her. She points at the Arishok and makes a motion across her neck with her hand. Clearly she is telling Hawke to kill him and by the look in those eyes Isabela will kick her dead ass if she doesn't do it. Her lips curve up in a smirk at this and her heart gives a flutter. She knows why she is doing this. It's something the Arishok could never understand because of the rigidity of the Qun.

"Because Isabela means more to me then you will ever comprehend. Underneath all supposed selfishness and flippant attitude is a person with a heart of gold and actually cares about people. I will not let you take her from me." Hawke replies with her eyes darkening in anger at the thought of him putting his grimy hands on Isabela. She didn't say the entire truth about why he can't have the pirate queen. The mage knew that over the years she and Isabela have been out on missions or hanging out at the Hanged Man, feelings have slowly developed over the time. Hawke didn't know when it started but she knew when Isabela looked her with those honey colored eyes and her heart leapt into her throat. The mage and the pirate queen always been close in battles, having each other's back when fighting the enemy or being close when out at the Hanged Man either trading barbs or dirty jokes along with the drinking and playful flirting, much to the ire of Aveline sometimes. Hawke didn't know when her feelings shift for Isabela but she never brought it up to her because she knows how Isabela feels about relationships and is more into sex then love. So the mage kept her mouth shut until now. Even then she didn't fully admit just in case Isabela would read her lips.

"It is pointless to have such ties to a thief that has no regards for anyone but herself. She only came back to save herself and you are going to die for it." The Arishok responds back as his grip on the slim throat tightens. His curiosity is sated now and its time to finish the job. Hawke's eyes darken in anger and it starts to course through her body. She tries to keep herself calm and poised when it comes to her magic but the mage will not stand for this any longer. Hawke knows Isabela is a better person then she lets on. The dark haired woman ignores the tightness on her throat as she reaches up and puts her hand on the smooth skin of the Arishok. The skin turns a bright red as Hawke uses fire to burn his skin to make him let go of her. Her feet touch the ground within seconds and he stumbles back clutching the area of burning flesh.

"Your magic will not save you." He growls as he picks up his own weapons while Hawke quickly grabs her staff to arm herself. Her eyes narrow greatly and she twirls her staff while slowly walking towards him.

"We will see about that." Hawke replies in a cocky way and puts holds her staff out to the side. She runs forward towards the waiting Arishok, making sure the dagger part is dragging across the ground. Sparks fly up into the sky as the dark haired woman gets closer to him. She gives a warrior cry and brings the bottom part up, creating a huge streak of lightening that flies towards her opponent. The Arishok runs to the left to get out of the way but it sears across his left arm leaving a huge burn mark going across his bicep. He doesn't blink at the pain when he digs his feet into the floor and pushes off of it to cut back towards the mage. He gives an angry growl as he brings down his sword and axe at the same time. Hawke brings up her staff and easily blocks the attack. She pushes upward and swings around to bring around her staff to do another attack to his gut. The Arishok uses his axe to block the staff down to the floor then swings his sword across her midsection. The mage thought she leapt back just in time but biting pain hits the second the sword easily cuts through her amour and her blood stains the floor. Hawke looks down to see red staining her normally shiny amour, she puts a hand to the area and pulls up her glove to look at the blood in disbelief.

"Hawke!"

The mage didn't have time to register who yelled her name when the edge of the sword slashes down her chest and a heavy boot comes slamming into her stomach. The dark hair woman goes flying into one of the columns before slowly sliding in a limp fashion. Isabela is trying to leap into the area to kick the Arishok's ass but Anders and Aveline have their arms wrapped tightly around her body to keep her back. It doesn't mean she is not putting up a good fight. She threw an elbow into Ander's face to loosen up her grip but the mage didn't let go even with his nose bleeding profusely.

"Let me go! I have to kill that bastard!" The pirate queen yells at them as her eyes never leaving the unmoving Hawke. Balls. She knew she should have stayed away and kept the damn book. Then Hawke wouldn't have been in this situation just trying to save her ass. Her eyes never leave Hawke's body and tears are actually in her eyes. She has never felt fear in her life even when she had that Qunari dreadnaught on her ass in that storm. The thief doesn't want to lose the mage because who will be her partner in crime or have somebody match her drink for drink at the Hanged Man. Isabela pushes away the other the other thoughts that crept into her mind. They are not important. Andraste's tits, she hates how Hawke is making her feel right now. She never cared about someone so much before and it makes her scared. Though she can't think about it right now as her eyes widen in fear when the Arishok is slowly making his way to the downed mage to end the fight and take her away from Hawke.

"Damn it Hawke. Get up now and kick his ass!" Isabela yells in hope that it will finally stir Hawke from her slumber. The pirate queen doesn't know if she could watch her being killed if she doesn't move anytime soon. Her heart jumps a beat when the mage's body twitches and a hand curls slowly over the staff. Hawke slowly lifts her head up and blinks her eyes with a groan. Her whole body is on fire and she is seeing spots everywhere. The mage puts a leaded hand to her pounding head. This is ten times worse than the hangover she had a couple weeks ago. Hawke looks up and sees the Arishok standing over her with a neutral expression on his face. She swallows a bit as she knows that if she doesn't do anything right now she will die. Her eyes look to the blood that is spilling out everywhere and that thought enters her mind. She is lost too much blood to win the fight now but she can use it to make tip in her favor. Blood magic is something she would never even consider because of how vile it is but the mage needs to win. Her eyes go over to her group of companions and she conveys how sorry she is for what she is about to do.

"Hawke, don't do it. I'm not worth it."

"There has to be another way."  
The voice of Anders and Isabela fall on deaf ears as she puts a finger on her exposed arm and slices it down making a fresh cut on her arm. Her body is suddenly rushed with power and it is coursing through her veins. Hawke has a euphoric feeling that almost made her feel like she is on a high, a very good high. She didn't want to come down from this feeling as it made her feel good and powerful; like she can do anything she wanted. The mage looks up towards the Arishok and a dark smile crosses her face because she knows she will win now. He must have realized what she has done because there is a slight fearful look in his grey eyes. Her opponent quickly brings down his sword to end her right here and now but a force is holding his arm in place. The normal icy colored eyes have a blood red color to them now and an evil glint to it. Hawke puts up one of her hands and holds up till it lines up to his chest.

"Time to end this." Hawke says in a deep voice that different to her lithe, humored lace voice. It sent a shiver down everybody's spine because they know Hawke isn't like this. The mage closes her hand into a tight fist. She could almost hear the heart bursting in his rib cage and it gave her much glee that she caused it. The Arishok didn't even have time to yell out in pain because it happened so quickly. His hulking body just goes limp instantly and crumbles to the floor with a loud thud. The other Qunari don't bat an eye at the death of their Arishok and they look around to each other before nodding their head. They quietly leave the room with no incident. There is a silence in the air before the nobles start to give a cheer of their freedom. They already forgot about Hawke using blood magic to win the fight. Her companions break through and race over towards Hawke to check up on her. The mage sees the caution in their body language and the disappointment in Ander's eyes. That high feeling is slowly starting to ebb away and a part of Hawke wants it to come back so she doesn't have to feel the come down but the other part of her is repulsed that she wants that feeling again. The mage knows things have changed now and she can never change that. She blinks her eyes when Isabela kneels down next to her and cups one of her paling cheeks.

"Stupid girl." Isabela whispers softly as she gently caresses the cool flesh with a hidden affection while looking at the returned icy colored eyes. She watches that cocky smirk form on those full, pink lips and she can't help but mirror that look. Hawke weakly reaches up and puts her gloved hand onto of the pirate queen's, resulting in a jolt going up both their arms. Neither woman didn't comment on it but kept on looking at each other. The air of intensity increases with each second.

"You know me, always doing stupid things all the time." Hawke whispers back before she leans her head back onto the column and her eyes slowly close. Her hand falls from the tan one and hits the floor with a soft thump. The mage had finally succumbed to her wounds. Isabela exhales shakily as she cups the mage's face and looks at it with tears in her eyes. She will not lose her now. Not after they need to celebrate her victory. This will not happen on her watch.

"Wake up Hawke! Don't you die on me now, not when we need to drink at the Hanged Man and make sexual puns at Big Girl all night. Come on, Hawke."

Hawke doesn't move at and continues to remain limp. Isabela pulls the limp body to her body before looking to Aveline, Anders, and Varric with that look of fear of losing Hawke. They need to act now otherwise they will lose Hawke forever and her whole world would lose its footing.

"I can't lose you."

**And there it is. The end of the first two parter of 'A Change of heart' and i hope you guys enjoy reading the chapter I put up. I enjoyed writing it a lot. I will see you guys in the second part. See you soon!**

**DWK**


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